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Custom Vacuum and Pressure Forming
Taking Your Product From Concept to Delivery-Quickly!
 

Thermoforming vs. Injection Molding
What are the Advantages?

Thermoforming offers significant savings over injection molding when start-up lead time is short and initial tooling costs are a concern.  InterTrade Industries, an ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer, offers "concept to delivery" lead times that are significantly shorter, and our processes offer a design freedom that translates into almost unlimited styling possibilities, with fabrication and performance unmatched by metal, wood, or fiberglass. Unlike injection molding, pressure forming allows you to receive similar products, while minimizing tooling costs and long lead times.
 
Design Advantages:
  • Precise Detail
  • Molded In Counter-Sinks
  • Sharp Corners
  • Undercuts and Reverse Angles
  • Molded In Vents and Ribs
  • Textured Surfaces
  • Wider Material and Color Choices
  • Controlled Wall Thickness
  • Superior Aesthetics
  • Various Part sizes up to 60 x 96

 

 

       

           Manufacturing Advantages:
  • "Molded" Appearance at up to 90% savings on tooling costs
  • Tooling as Fast as 2 Weeks
  • Production Parts as Quickly as 3 Weeks
  • Ability to modify parts quickly and inexpensively
  • ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturing processes

 
Types of Thermoforming:

Vacuum Forming is a manufacturing process where three-dimensional parts are made by applying heat to a flat sheet of plastic, draping it onto a mold, and then extracting a vacuum to make the plastic take the contour of the tool. The part is then cooled and removed from the mold.  Usually secondary trim or drill operations using CNC routers
are necessary to finish the part to the desired configuration.

A wide variety of materials, such as ABS, polystyrene, polypropylene, and pvc, may be used in vacuum forming.

Vacuum Forming is ideal for applications requiring:       

 Low tooling costs
 Short to medium production  runs

 (eg. Medical trays, electronic trays, shrouds, covers)
Pressure Forming is similar to vacuum forming, with the additional step of applying pressure to the back of the parts during the forming operation. By using air pressure as a forming aid, we are able to increase the detail on the parts. This allows for sharper definition and an "injection molding look"–without the high cost and long lead times associated with injection molding.
 
Pressure Forming is ideal for                     
applications requiring:

Low tooling costs
Short to medium production  runs
Excellent  appearance

(e.g. Detail-enhanced covers, Computer/electrical device housings, Front panels, Containers or covers for Medical or Telecommunications Devices)

 

Inline Thermoforming
In this process, the plastic sheet moves from a roll onto the inline equipment and through the heating section. The heated material advances into the forming section where pressure and/or vacuum force the plastic onto a mold. It then proceeds to another station where formed parts are finish-trimmed.
 

Inline Thermoforming is ideal for such applications as:

  • Medical and Electronic Trays
  • Blisters and Clamshell packaging


Contact InterTrade Today To Make Your Idea A Successful Reality!
 

    email: info@intertradeindustries.com (attach CAD files)

15632 Commerce Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1604 

800-944-9277 | 714-894-5566 | FAX 714-894-3927
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